


Three Times Someone Underestimated MacGyver Because of His Age

by orphan_account



Series: prompt fills 2016 [6]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: A teeny bit angsty but not much, Friendship, Gen, but he's really talented, people underestimate Mac because he looks so young, so there, which tbh he does kinda I mean have you seen him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8898301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: ...and one time it didn't matter.What it says on the tin. MacGyver's pretty young looking, and people can't help but notice that. It's too bad they tend to make such hasty decisions, though, because the agent is extremely talented.(aka Jack watches three people underestimate one of the best people he knows because of MacGyver's looks. It's too bad (not) that they're always proven wrong soon after.)





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TinkerBella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinkerBella/gifts).



> MacGyver looks pretty young, y'all have to admit. So for her part of the fic exchange we're doing, TinkerBella wanted a fic where someone underestimates Mac because of his age, and this is what happened. Full prompt is at the bottom. Drop me a line and let me know what you thought.
> 
> Some of the people in this are a bit rude to Mac. Please note that this was intentional, but I don't necessarily believe that everyone in their situations act that way.

**_1_ ** **_:_ **

"Are you sure that we should be following his advice?"

Jack stared in disbelief at the man that had just spoken. The man was dressed to a T in an expensive suit and tie, a genuine Rolex on his wrist. In fact, he was the type of person that Jack usually labeled mentally as "a jerk." These type of people seemed to think that they were better than everyone else. 

The only reason that Jack hadn't punched the dude yet was because his and Mac's mission was to get this guy- a high-ranking senator that had pissed off the wrong people- back to a DXS safehouse. The two agents had gone undercover to try and extract Senator Gira without causing a fuss, but MacGyver, undercover as a waiter and doing some of his signature sneaking, had overheard a couple people talking about their plan to poison the senator later that night. Needless to say, MacGyver had relayed the information to Jack, who had gotten the senator to follow him into the large pantry under the pretense of talking about donations to the senator's pet charities.

Come to think of it, the fact that Jack was in his tux and MacGyver was in a waiter's uniform was probably a bit of the reason that the senator had made the remark that he did. High-in-society people had a tendency to look down on those in a lower social class- aka, the working class. However, more of his reasons for saying it were revealed with his next sentence. "I mean, he looks like he's barely out of high school. Don't you think he's a bit- young?"

Anger bubbled up inside Jack. This wasn't the first time someone hadn't believed that MacGyver could do something, but it was certainly the first time they had blatantly said so in front of his face. Jack swallowed down the anger, forcing a smile onto his face. "Dude, I'm just the muscle. He's the brains. Whatever he says we should do, I'm doing. And if you wanna live, I suggest you do the same."

The senator's face had twisted in disgust at being called 'dude,' and he only seemed to become more distasteful of Jack as the man continued to speak. However, the man's last sentence hit home, and Gira deigned to turn to MacGyver and run an eye over him, obviously sizing him up, before the white-haired man rolled his eyes. "I suppose anyone will do in a pinch."

MacGyver flushed with embarrassment at the man's condescending tone that implied he wasn't good enough for the task at hand. However, he swallowed down his frustration, turning to the blueprints of the mansion that he had pulled up on his phone. Quickly, he outlined a plan that would enable Jack to get the senator outside while the younger man caused a distraction and- hopefully- trapped the people conspiring against Gira long enough that the DXS could send in some people to arrest them. It involved a lot of running and shouting, and faking clumsiness on the part of the blond. There was one part of the plan that stood out, though. 

Jack groaned. "You get to pull the fire alarm? I've always wanted to do that." 

MacGyver shot him a quick grin, saying, "Maybe next time."

Senator Gira tapped his foot impatiently as he broke into the conversation. "I realize that it's great fun to cause havoc, but can we please focus on getting me out alive?"

Jack rolled his eyes, but nodded. MacGyver went over a few more things in the plan, and then they set it in motion. 

(After the senator was safe and ready to be on his way to the safehouse, Jack was briefly approached by the man. "That young man that helped save me," he said, "He did a good job. I wouldn't have thought someone so young could do that well." 

Jack just grinned. "You're not the first to underestimate him, and you won't be the last.")

* * *

**_2:_ **

The hysterical girl muffled a sob as a window shattered nearby and glass rained down onto the floor. Jack crouched near her, a gun held tightly in his hand as he peered over the top of the grocery store counter. He had been at the local pharmacy when an armed robbery had begun, and, well, the rest had happened pretty fast. Long story short, his gun had been spotted by the robbers, who had been about to shoot him and the only other person in the store, the college-age cashier.

Jack hadn't been about to let that happen. 

So, here he was, pinned down behind a drugstore counter and hoping that MacGyver, who had been waiting in the car outside, had called the police. He probably had, and then decided to-

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by a shout of, "Duck and shut, Jack!" came through the shattered window. Recognizing his friend's voice, Jack did just that, pulling the girl with him and covering her eyes with his hand as he squeezed his own tightly shut. There was a beat of silence, then a relatively loud bang. 

Jack opened his eyes slowly to see MacGyver peering in through the window, looking worried. "You okay, Jack?"

The older man nodded, helping the cashier to her feet. The girl peered around the store, her eyes confused. "What happened?"

Jack said, "Flash grenade. Well, an improvised one."

The two men made quick work of subduing the three thieves, and when Jack stood from restraining the last one with a jump rope he had found a couple aisles over, he found the girl staring at him. She suddenly hugged him. "You saved me, thank you, oh my gosh, thank you so much. And how did you even make a grenade in here?"

Jack disengaged himself from the girl, pointing to the blond behind her, who had carefully climbed through the window. "He did it, actually."

The girl barely glanced at MacGyver before scoffing."No, really, how did you do it?"

Jack was beginning to feel a bit annoyed. "I'm not kidding."

The redhead glanced up at MacGyver again, who by this point had moved closer to Jack and was awkwardly standing by the brunet. He gave a small wave, a tiny gesture that deflated as the girl said, "Oh, okay. I guess I just didn't think a high schooler could do something like that."

Jack had to swallow back a smile as he hurried MacGyver and himself out. He threw back a quick response over his shoulder as he shoved the younger man- who was rapidly becoming more and more indignant looking- out the door. "We'll be outside, why don't you wait in here for the police?"

Jack finally let his friend go, starting to laugh at the offended expression on the young man's face as he said, "I'm almost twenty-one, why did she think- Jack, shut up."

Jack kept laughing, doubling over as his friend shoved him and went to sit on the curb in a huff.

* * *

**_3:_ **

The mother looked at MacGyver with disbelief, her eyes doubting. "I'm not going to make it if I run now!"

The young man swallowed a groan of frustration. The mother in front of him worked for a large corporation, and had discovered that her boss was part of a terrorist group when she had overheard him talking with some men that had come into the office one day. However, her boss had discovered she had been listening, and was now trying to have her killed. Jack and MacGyver were in charge of protecting her. 

Jack was currently bringing an armored SUV around to where MacGyver and the woman, a Mrs. Adronella, were pinned down by some of the men the terrorist group had sent after her. MacGyver was trying to get the woman to run towards the car, which he could see approaching. It would be there in about thirty seconds- the amount of time that the woman would need to get to the car. 

The blond had been trying to tell her this, but the woman refused to listen. She insisted that she was safer where she was, and didn't budge. MacGyver saw no other choice than to say, "Fine. I'm leaving. If you want to stay here and die, you can."

Mac pretended to ready himself to run, then found, to his relief, that the mother had finally relented. She rose into a crouch, waiting for Mac's signal. When he gave it, the woman launched herself in the direction of the SUV, which had almost come to a stop. 

As Mrs. Adronella made her way towards the car, the young agent also made a dash for the vehicle, but he let out a loud yell that no doubt attracted the attention of everyone who heard it, which was his goal. He wanted to distract the terrorists from the woman, and this was the best way he could find.

When he saw that the mother was safely in the back of the car, he shut up and focused his efforts on making it to the car in one piece. After he made it in, the door not even shut, Jack hit the gas and the trio sped off towards safety. Jack said, as he drove, "What took y'all so long?"

Mac resisted throwing an angry glance over his shoulder at the woman in the back, but only barely. "There was a disagreement. I'll tell you later."

(At the end of the mission, before he talked to Mac, Jack talked to the mother. Mrs. Adronella was indignant. "I don't suppose," she fumed, "That they could've sent someone a bit more competent than that child for me? I have children older than him, for goodness' sake." 

Jack's patience for the woman snapped. Technically, the mission was over. With that in mind, he didn't bother to hold his words back. "Actually, that 'child' is one of the best agents around. He saved your life back there. And," the man added, a smile growing over his face, "As for having children older than him? That's normal when you're a hundred years old."

Jack walked away from the sputtering woman, heading off to find his friend. People might underestimate him, but the blond was one of the smartest and most resilient people Jack knew.

So there.)

* * *

**_+1:_ **

Jack stared down at the squirming baby in his arms. The child let out a wail, making Jack wince. When the boy- Aaron, one of Jack's nephews- didn't stop crying, MacGyver poked his head into the kid's bedroom. "Jack, what're you doing to the kid?"

Jack's frustration with the situation began to bubble over. He and MacGyver were at Jack's parent's house for Thanksgiving, as was their tradition (two years ago, when Jack had just begun to work with MacGyver, the older man's family had insisted Jack bring along his new partner when they found out that the kid didn't have anyone to spend Thanksgiving with. After a year of MacGyver being invited to every family function, Jack decided that he had a new (adopted) little brother. His parents hadn't shown any qualms about parenting the heck out of the kid, which only served to further confirm Jack's suspicion), and Jack had heard the kid crying in the night. 

So, here he was, cradling a squalling six-month-old in his arms, and MacGyver was asking him  _what he was doing_. "What does it look like?" He snapped.

The man regretted it a moment later when, not only did the baby start crying even harder, but his young friend's face twisted in amusement. The blond held out his arms as he came fully into the room. "Can I try?"

Jack sighed. "Why not?" He said, and handed his nephew to Mac. The kid fussed for a moment longer, then quieted as the younger man began to rock him gently in his arms. MacGyver walked slowly around the room, and Jack felt himself smiling at the adorable picture the pair presented. The kid was only twenty-one, and he held the child carefully, not wanting to accidentally drop Aaron. His gaze was focused solely on the tiny bundle in his arms, and when he laid the now-sleeping child in his crib, blond hair fell into Mac's eyes, making him seem very young.

Jack took his elbow and gently pulled him from the room, giving him a nod of thanks. The two headed back to the room they always shared when at the Dalton's house, both ready to go back to bed.

(Before they slept, Jack said, "You know, you'll make a great father someday." The man pretended to sigh sappily.

A pillow hit him square in the face, along with a scandalized, whisper-shouted, "Shut _up_ , Jack!"

Jack used the pillow to smother his laughter.) 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I was wondering if you might write a version of that some time. Mac and Jack on a mission and the person they're supposed to save makes it tough because he doesn't accept Mac as the guy in charge, the guy who can save the day.
> 
> Hope this satisfied!
> 
> p.s. haha it's the first day of break and I'm a swimmer so I have two practices a day monday-friday this break which means 4 hours of swimming every day rip


End file.
